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29 October 2014

One in four Australians has negative attitude towards Muslims

The social cohesion report, published by Monash University and the Scanlon Foundation, measured public attitudes on issues like immigration and multiculturalism.

It found people were five times more likely to hold negative attitudes towards Muslims than any other religious group.

Report author Professor Andrew Markus said the results were troubling.

"What we're finding is negativity towards Muslims is five times higher than towards Christians and Buddhists, so there's quite a significant issue there," said Professor Markus. [ABC News Online] Read more

10 October 2014

Terrorists have valid grievances, say some Muslims

Government and law enforcement authorities have failed to win the "hearts and minds" of Muslim Australians with a landmark survey finding that 21 per cent think terrorists have legitimate grievances.

New counter-terrorism laws and police operations risk becoming counter-productive because they have "over-reached" and have created a "siege mentality", researchers found.

The nation-wide study, a government-funded Australian Research Council Discovery project, is the first to quantify the consequences of Australia's fight against terrorism for Muslim communities.

Dr Adrian Cherney, from the University of Queensland, and Associate Professor Kristina Murphy, from Griffith University, surveyed 800 Muslims between June and August and conducted 14 focus groups across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. They will present their full report next year. [The Sydney Morning Herald] Read more